"But the Iranians said on Tuesday that they wanted to move the talks to Oman and hold them in a bilateral format, in order to ensure that they focused only on nuclear issues and not other matters like missiles that are priorities for the U.S. and countries in the region."
""We told them it is this or nothing, and they said, 'Ok, then nothing,'" a senior U.S. official said."
""We want to reach a real deal quickly or people will look at other options," the senior official said, alluding to Trump's repeated threats of military action."
The U.S. and Iran had agreed to meet on Friday in Istanbul with other Middle Eastern countries participating as observers. Iran requested moving the talks to Oman and holding them bilaterally to ensure focus only on nuclear issues and to avoid discussion of missiles and other regional priorities of the U.S. and neighboring states. U.S. officials considered the request but on Wednesday rejected changing the location or format. A senior U.S. official said Washington gave an ultimatum and that Iran declined, effectively canceling the meeting. The U.S. said it remains ready to meet this week or next if Iran returns to the original format. White House envoys plan travel to Qatar for related discussions before returning to Miami.
Read at Axios
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